La thèse comprend trois parties dont la première vise à définir le contexte historique et culturel dans lequel se développa la production littéraire prise en considération. Nous y décrivons la position d'infériorité relative qui était, depuis l'Antiquité, celle des praticiens (mechanici) par rapports aux lettrés et, plus généralement, aux représentants des arts libéraux. Nous décrivons ensuite le milieu dans lequel évoluèrent les auteurs des dialogues étudiés, c'est-à-dire la cour, centre névralgique et décisionnel de la société à cette époque et qui, passage obligé de l'ascension sociale, était aussi un milieu hostile et très fortement concurrentiel. Le prince occupait le sommet de sa hiérarchie et se situait au cœur des dynamiques internes qui l'animaient. Les techniciens tels que certains des auteurs des ouvrages étudiés devaient se confronter à ce milieu s'ils espéraient faire carrière. Les possibilités d'évolution professionnelle et sociale qui s'ouvraient à eux étaient réelles : les États italiens montrèrent en effet au XVIème siècle un intérêt certain pour les disciplines techniques et proto-scientifiques. Dans ce contexte, la production textuelle représentait un moyen d'action de première importance. Le livre pouvait en effet être conçu comme une monnaie d'échange dans les relations courtisanes, mais aussi comme un succédané à l'action militaire ou comme un moyen efficace pour la promotion des compétences de l'auteur.La deuxième partie de la thèse nous rapproche des textes qui forment le corpus de recherche. Le fait que ces ouvrages traitaient d'affaires militaires représentait un atout dans les cours de la péninsule au XVIème siècle et pouvait leur assurer une réception favorable tout en ouvrant des perspectives de carrière à leurs auteurs. Le premier chapitre de cette partie vise donc à montrer comment était perçue l'utilité de l'art militaire à cette époque. Si la rhétorique faisait de son exaltation un véritable lieu commun, la réalité historique conduisait à un constat unanime : celui de la nécessité urgente pour les États de la Péninsule, qui subirent des échecs cuisants dans la première partie du siècle notamment, d'améliorer l'efficacité de leurs armées. La production d'ouvrages militaires aux finalités didactiques s'encadre, en partie tout du moins, dans ce contexte et répond à la volonté de proposer une instruction militaire plus avancée. La manière dont les auteurs des dialogues étudiés cherchèrent à répondre à ce besoin vital dépendait substantiellement de leur conception de l'art militaire. On en distingue trois principales à cette époque mais toutes préconisent, dans des proportions et selon des modalités différentes, l'union des connaissances théoriques et pratiques. Les hommes de métiers – des membres de l'aristocratie ayant souvent reçu une certaine formation culturelle – revendiquaient la supériorité des savoirs pratiques et critiquaient ceux que l'on appellera les théoriciens purs. Dans leurs ouvrages, ils arrivaient parfois à remettre en cause la pertinence d'une transmission des savoirs militaires par l'écrit. Le paradoxe n'est cependant qu'apparent : la notion clé de l'experimentum – qui peut s'accommoder du support écrit – permet de le résoudre. L'approche de type humaniste, de son côté, relève d'une perspective générale et aristocratique de l'art. Le recours aux auctoritates antiques y est fréquent et les vertus classiques occupent une place de premier ordre. Enfin, les techniciens de la guerre faisaient des mathématiques le fondement essentiel de leur conception de l'art militaire moderne / No english summary

Orientador: Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra / Coorientador: Humberto Marcondes Estevam / Banca: Elisa Antônia Ribeiro / Banca: Marcos Omir Marques / Banca: Maria Teresa Vilela Nogueira Abdo / Banca: João Antônio Galbiatti / Resumo: O setor agropecuário brasileiro é responsável por cerca de 22,3% do PIB nacional e, para os próximos anos, há a previsão de expansão das fronteiras agrícolas em ecossistemas brasileiros ainda pouco conhecidos. No decorrer da história o setor contribuiu decisivamente para a transformação dos espaços naturais, em geral, comprometendo os recursos naturais e a integridade dos ecossistemas. Frente a esta realidade encontra-se a profissão de engenheiro agrônomo/agrônomo, enquanto mediador na relação produção e meio ambiente, e as instituições de ensino superior com a responsabilidade pelo perfil destes profissionais. Com o objetivo de conhecer e caracterizar os componentes curriculares da área de solos e os referentes à sustentabilidade ambiental frente às legislações educacional e profissional nos cursos de agronomia, analisou-se Projetos Pedagógicos de Cursos (PPC) de diferentes instituições, dentre as universidades particulares, estaduais e federais. A pesquisa constituiu de estudo exploratório, de natureza quali-quantitativa, delineado por pesquisa documental, com um enfoque comparativo, a partir de 15 (quinze) Projetos Pedagógicos de Cursos de Engenharia Agronômica / Agronomia do país, de instituições particulares, estaduais, universidades federais, com melhores resultados no Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes (ENADE) em 2010 e Institutos Federais. Os PPC apresentaram dificuldades na apropriação das legislações educacional e profissional sendo que as instituições dentre as melhores no ENADE em 2010 e os Institutos Federais apresentaram maior aderência as mesmas. Apesar de alguns PPC destacarem nos seus referenciais teóricos preocupações com o solo e com as questões ambientais, essa... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Brazilian agricultural sector is responsible for about 22.3% of the national GDP, and for the next years, there is a forecast of agricultural frontier expansion in Brazilian ecosystems little known. Throughout history the sector contributed decisively to the transformation of natural areas, often compromising the natural resources and ecosystem integrity. Facing this reality we can find the agronomy profession/agronomist, as a mediator in the relationship between production and environment, and institutions of higher education with responsibility for the profile of these professionals. Aiming to understand and characterize the components of the soil curriculum area and those referring to environmental sustainability before the professional and educational laws in the courses in agronomy, we analyzed Educational Course Projects (ECP) from different institutions, among private, state and federal universities. The research was an exploratory study, from qualitative and quantitative nature, designed for documental research, with a comparative approach, of fifteen (15) Educational Course Projects of Agricultural Engineering / Agronomy of the country, from private, state, and federal universities, with best results in the National Student Performance (NSP) in 2010 and Federal Institutes. The ECP had difficulties in appropriation of the professional and educational laws although the best institutions in NSP in 2010 and the Federal Institutes showed higher adherence to them. Although some ECP's show in their theoretical some concerns with soil and environmental issues, this view was not expressed and translated into... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Orientador: Sergio Robles Reis de Queiroz, Flavia Luciane Consoni / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociências / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T17:07:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mazzoni_MarceladeOliveira_M.pdf: 1094312 bytes, checksum: aba079d3fd8e2525366450fb9eafcdfc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: O presente trabalho tem por objetivo investigar se a participação dos engenheiros no emprego formal da indústria de transformação brasileira cresceu após as mudanças no ambiente econômico e a reestruturação industrial a partir do Plano Real, em 1994. Para isto, o trabalho se desenvolve em torno de duas perguntas. A primeira busca averiguar se estas mudanças na economia e na indústria teriam alterado as estruturas do emprego de tal forma que a retomada da aceleração econômica, como vem acontecendo a partir de 2003, estaria provocando uma elevação na demanda por profissionais em ritmo maior do que sua oferta no mercado de trabalho. A segunda pergunta analisa se a nova estrutura do emprego esteve ligada ao maior envolvimento destes profissionais com as atividades inovativas por parte da indústria de transformação brasileira. Para a investigação das mudanças na estrutura do emprego de engenheiros foram coletadas informações na base de dados do Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego, a RAIS (Relação Anual de Informações Sociais), no período 1994/2006. Para o estudo do componente tecnológico do mercado de trabalho para a engenharia tem-se como fonte de dados as três edições da Pintec (Pesquisa Industrial de Inovação Tecnológica), do IBGE, para os anos de 2000, 2003 e 2005. As análises em três diferentes níveis da economia - no agregado da economia, na média da indústria de transformação e em nível setorial - apontam que as alterações no ambiente econômico e industrial não resultaram em mudanças no sentido de uma estrutura laboral com maior proporção de engenheiros no Brasil, o que afasta a possibilidade de restrição na disponibilidade destes profissionais no mercado de trabalho formal no curto prazo. Com relação ao desenvolvimento de atividades inovativas, os dados do desempenho tecnológico do Brasil mostraram que as reformas realizadas pela indústria não aumentaram as atividades tecnológicas; ao contrário, nota-se uma ligeira redução na participação dos engenheiros em sua realização / Abstract: This study aims to investigate whether the participation of engineers in formal employment in the Brazilian manufacturing industry grew after the changes in the economic and industrial restructuring since the Real Plan, in 1994. The analysis investigates two questions. The first one intend to establish whether these changes in economy and industry have changed employment structures so that the resumption of economic acceleration, as has been happening since 2003, could be causing a rise in demand for professionals at a higher rate than their supply in the labor market. Then, the second question investigates whether the new structure of employment was linked to greater involvement of professionals with innovative activities by the Brazilian industry. For the investigation of structural changes in employment of engineers, information was collected in the database of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the RAIS (Annual Social Information Report) in the period 1994/2006. To study of technological component of the labor market for engineering has been a source of data the three issues Pintec (Industrial Research on Technological Innovation) of IBGE, for the years 2000, 2003 and 2005. The analysis on three different levels of the economy - the aggregate economy, the average manufacturing industry and sectoral level - revealed that changes in the economic environment and industry did not result in changes to structure a system with a higher proportion of engineers in Brazil, which rules out the possibility of limiting the availability of these professionals in the formal labor market in the short term. Regarding the development of innovative activities, performance data technology in Brazil showed that the reforms implemented by the industry did not increase the technological activities, in opposite, there is a slight reduction in the participation of engineers in its realization / Mestrado / Mestre em Política Científica e Tecnológica

Submitted by Celso Magalhaes (celsomagalhaes@ufrrj.br) on 2017-07-27T13:09:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017 - Marina Vasconcelos de Oliveira.pdf: 1221503 bytes, checksum: 9381f92942c7388888364c8566c8a781 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-27T13:09:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017 - Marina Vasconcelos de Oliveira.pdf: 1221503 bytes, checksum: 9381f92942c7388888364c8566c8a781 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-13 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / Tropical forests support a great vegetal diversity, in part, through an nutrient cycling initiated by the soil arthropod?s fauna, which facilitated the litter decomposers action, propitiating the release of stock nutrients to the soil. Therefore, studies about these fauna and what factors alter it are extremely important to understand the nutrient cycling process in tropical forests. Among epigeic fauna represents, the leaf-cutting ants are considered the Neotropical region dominant herbivores and studies relate their multiple effects on vegetable community and the soil . Nonetheless, there aren?t studies about leaf-cutting ants effects on other arthropods communities, including mirmecofauna. This study aim to investigate the nests effects of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) on a soil arthropod community. The study site was Reserva Ecol?gica de Guapia?u, Cachoeiras de Macacu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where we collected samples at ten A. sexdens nests in period of 2 February to 9 February 2016. Along a linear transect of 32 meters, we collected litter samples from 0,25 m? size at intervals of 8 meters from each nests? edge of A. sexdens, whereby we also measured the air and soil temperature, the light and the air relative humidity. We aim to verify if litter structure and microclimatic conditions alter arthropod community structure and if these effects can be mediated by A. sexdens nests. The hypothesis in question are: 1) Litter Hypothesis, whereby arthropod community structure would be influenced by litter and litter would be altered by A. sexdens; 2) Abiotic Factors Hypothesis, whereby arthropod community structure would be influenced by abiotic factors and these factors would be altered by A. sexdens and 3) Nest Hypothesis, whereby community alterations would happen through intrinsic factors to active nests presence and not explained by alterations in a litter and/or in abiotic factors measured. For the test of the first and the second hypothesis, we did simple regressions and next variance analysis, assessing the litter and abiotic factors effects on arthropod community parameters and if this effects can be mediated by A. sexdens. To test Nest Hypothesis, we did variance analysis and analysis of similarities, assessing direct effects of A. sexdens on other arthropods community. We collected 3074 arthropods, among them Acari and Collembola were the most abundant groups. In relation of the ants, we obtained 63 specimens, in 26 genera and 32 identified species. The Strumigenys genus was one of the most frequent genera and it detained the biggest richness among mirmecofauna predators.We didn?t detect A. sexdens effects on soil arthropod community around its nests. Studies that include sazonality and behavior comparison between different species of leaf-cutting ants can result in new knowledge about the interaction between these organisms and other arthropods / As florestas tropicais sustentam uma grande diversidade vegetal, em parte, devido ? ciclagem de nutrientes iniciada pela fauna de artr?podes do solo, que facilita a a??o dos decompositores da serrapilheira, propiciando a libera??o dos nutrientes estocados para o solo. Logo, estudos sobre essa fauna e que fatores a afetam s?o importantes para a compreens?o dos processos de ciclagem de nutrientes em florestas tropicais. Dentre os representantes da fauna epigeica, as formigas-cortadeiras s?o consideradas os herb?voros dominantes da regi?o Neotropical e estudos relatam seus m?ltiplos efeitos sobre a comunidade vegetal e o solo. Entretanto, n?o h? estudos sobre os efeitos das formigas-cortadeiras sobre a comunidade dos demais artr?podes. Este estudo visa investigar os efeitos dos ninhos de formigas-cortadeiras Atta sexdens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) sobre a comunidade de artr?podes do solo. A ?rea de estudo foi a Reserva Ecol?gica de Guapia?u, munic?pio de Cachoeiras de Macacu, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, na qual coletamos amostras em 10 ninhos de A. sexdens no per?odo de 2 a 9 de fevereiro de 2016. Ao longo de um transecto linear de 32 metros, coletamos amostras de serrapilheira de tamanho 0,25m? a intervalos de 8 metros a partir da borda de cada ninho de A. sexdens, nos quais tamb?m medimos as temperaturas do ar e do solo, a luz e a umidade relativa do ar. Objetivamos averiguar se a estrutura da serrapilheira e as condi??es microclim?ticas alteram a estrutura da comunidade de artr?podes e se esses efeitos podem ser mediados pelos ninhos de A. sexdens. As hip?teses em estudo s?o: 1) Hip?tese da Serrapilheira, na qual a estrutura da comunidade de artr?podes seria influenciada pela serrapilheira e a serrapilheira seria alterada por A. sexdens; 2) Hip?tese dos Fatores Abi?ticos, na qual a estrutura da comunidade de artr?podes seria influenciada pelos fatores abi?ticos locais e estes fatores seriam alterados por A. sexdens e 3) Hip?tese do Ninho, em que as altera??es na comunidade se dariam por fatores intr?nsecos ? presen?a dos ninhos ativos e n?o explicados por altera??es na serrapilheira e/ou nos fatores abi?ticos medidos. As duas primeiras hip?teses foram testadas atrav?s de regress?es lineares simples, seguidas de an?lises de vari?ncia, avaliando os efeitos da serrapilheira e dos fatores abi?ticos sobre os par?metros da comunidade de artr?podes e se esses efeitos podem ser mediados por A. sexdens. No teste da hip?tese do Ninho, fizemos an?lises de vari?ncia e an?lises de similaridade, avaliando os efeitos diretos de A. sexdens sobre a comunidade dos demais artr?podes. Coletamos 3074 artr?podes, dentre os quais Acari e Collembola foram os grupos mais abundantes. Em rela??o ?s formigas, obtivemos 63 morfoesp?cies, em 26 g?neros e 32 esp?cies identificadas. O g?nero Strumigenys foi um dos g?neros mais frequentes e deteve a maior riqueza dentre os predadores da mirmecofauna. N?o detectamos efeitos de A. sexdens sobre a comunidade de artr?podes do solo do seu entorno. Estudos que incluam a sazonalidade e que comparem o comportamento entre diferentes esp?cies de formigas-cortadeiras podem resultar em novos conhecimentos a respeito da intera??o desses organismos com os demais artr?podes

M.Phil. / Three test and certification bodies in the explosion prevention field currently exist in South Africa. One of these bodies was started in 2003 and faced a significant number of challenges in competition with the two other wellestablished bodies / institutions. This dissertation covers some of the internal and external challenges especially with respect to strategic marketing in a small and specialized industrial market, but also in the global market. The dissertation is based on the basic requirements, analysis and implementation of a marketing strategy and marketing plan, covering both the theoretical aspects and the specific challenges as experienced by the body in the case study. Market research, market segmentation, industry analysis, competitive analysis, aspects of industrial marketing and SWOT Analysis are topics included in the development of the strategic and marketing plan for the business in the case study.

The geomorphological impact of small fossorial mammals (adapted to digging and living underground), such as rodents can be significant, and both their direct and indirect effects may contribute to landscape formation. This thesis is based on empirical field studies of two burrowing rodent species in sub-polar environments, namely invasive House mice (Mus musculus) on sub-Antarctic Marion Island and Norwegian lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) in sub-Arctic Abisko. The spatial distribution, sediment displacements, impact on vegetation and microclimatic effects of the rodents are documented. Invasive mice and rats, introduced on sub-Antarctic Islands during the 19th century, lack natural enemies and are shown to have a significant direct and indirect geomorphic impact by direct sediment displacement, vegetation removal by burrowing, grazing and trampling and thereby exposing the sediments for rain, wind and frost processes.  The geomorphic impacts of lemmings are comparatively more limited as they rely on natural hollows and snow cover for protection and do not burrow to the same extent as other fossorial rodents in cold regions. Lemmings are thus suggested to have little impact on landform integrity, but can affect vegetation composition. A comparison of the findings from this study with published data on seven other rodent species and other physical mass transfer mechanisms in sub-polar and alpine environments suggests that fossorial rodents are a significant and sometimes dominant geomorphic force in sub-polar and alpine environments. The geomorphic work by ground squirrels, ice rats, plateau pikas and zokors is shown to be in the same order of magnitude as solifluction and rock falls. In alpine and periglacial environments these rodents are considered to act as key-stone species and ecosystem engineers through the creation of landforms by  dislocation and of soil and other impacts on soil properties, vegetation and ecosystem function

Les savanes tropicales sont très importantes pour la production agricole et de nombreux services écosystémiques. En Colombie, ces savanes ont été traditionnellement gérées par l'élevage extensif et l'agriculture à faible intrants. La conversion actuelle de ces systèmes naturels en agriculture intensive peut avoir des effets dévastateurs sur la biodiversité du sol et au-dessus du sol. La macrofaune du sol représente une part importante de la biodiversité des agroécosystèmes et certains groupes ont reçu une attention considérable en tant qu'ingénieurs des écosystèmes. L'objectif général de la thèse est d'évaluer et d'analyser les impacts des paysages agricoles sur les communautés d'ingénieurs des sols et les services écosystémiques fournis par le sol dans les Llanos colombiens. Trois questions principales ont été abordées: (1) Quel est l'impact de la gestion agricole sur les communautés de fourmis et est-il possible d'identifier des espèces de fourmis qui pourraient servir d'indicateurs des services écosystémiques basés sur le sol? (2) Quel est l'impact de l’usage des sols sur les communautés de fourmis et de termites et cet impact est-il lié aux modifications des propriétés physiques et chimiques des sols? (3) Les traits écologiques et morphologiques des fourmis répondent-ils aux usages du sol et aux propriétés du sol?Les résultats de cette thèse confirment que les communautés de fourmis sont très sensibles aux changements d'usage de sols et constituent de bons indicateurs précoces des services écosystémiques basés sur les sols. Plus précisément, les cultures annuelles se sont révélées le plus préjudiciables aux communautés de fourmis et de termites, et cela est probablement dû à l'application d'intrants chimiques, ainsi qu'au travail du sol et aux pesticides. Tous les usages du sol (savanes, plantation de caoutchouc ou palmiers à huile, pâturages améliorés et cultures annuelles) ont une faune particulière, mais certaines espèces ont des besoins particuliers en termes d’habitat pour leurs nids, leur nourriture, ou des refuges. Certaines espèces sont plus généralistes et particulièrement adaptées aux environnements perturbés. En ce sens, la présence de toutes les utilisations du sol dans un paysage contribue dans une certaine mesure à la diversité totale. On a constaté que les usages des sols avec une couverture arborée permettent le maintien d’espèces rares, discrètes et souvent avec exigences de habitat particulaires. / Tropical savannas are highly important for agricultural production and many other ecosystems services. In Colombia, these savannas have been traditionally managed through extensive livestock production and low-input agriculture. The current conversion of these natural systems to intensified agriculture can have devastating impacts on belowground and aboveground biodiversity. Soil macrofauna represents an important part of agroecosystem biodiversity and some groups have received considerable attention as ecosystem engineers. The general goal of the thesis is to evaluate and analyze the impacts of agricultural landscapes on soil engineer communities and soil ecosystem services in the Colombian Llanos. Three main questions were addressed: (1) What is the impact of agricultural management on ant communities and is it possible to identify ant species that could be used as indicators of soil-based ecosystem services? (2) What is the impact of land uses on ant and termite communities and is this impact associated with modifications of soil physical and chemical properties? (3) Do the ecological and morphological traits of ants respond to land uses and soil properties?The results of this thesis confirm that ant communities are highly sensitive to land use changes and constitute good early indicators of soil-based ecosystem services. More accurately, annual crops have shown to be detrimental to ant and termites communities and this is probably due to the application of chemical inputs, as well as to tillage and pesticides. All land uses (Savannas, rubber or oil palm plantations, improved pastures and annual crops) have a particular soil fauna, but some species have particular habitat requirements for nest sites, food, refugees, etc. Some species are more generalist and are particularly adapted to disturbed environment. The presence of all land uses within a landscape contributes to a certain extent to the total diversity. It was found that sites with a tree cover protect rare, sometimes inconspicuous and perhaps fragile species.

M.Phil. / Organisational wellness is a relatively new concept. Although a few models can be found in the relevant literature, there is a lack of holistic models for the engineering field, or more specifically for the mechanical engineering employee within the power-generating industry. The aim of the study was to develop an organisational wellness model for a company within the power-generation industry, by addressing the main research question: “What are the experiences and perceptions of five engineers on organisational wellness?” and the following sub-questions: 1. What events or incidents shaped the perceptions of these five engineers regarding organisational wellness? 2. What themes materialised from the stories and interviews? 3. Can any other organisational evidence be found in support of Sub-question 1? 4. Can stories provide the information that is needed for generating knowledge that can further the study of the concept of organisational wellness? The stories of five engineers and their views on organisational wellness that were extracted from mostly unstructured interviews, were packaged unconventionally as a movie script, aiming at contributing to the pool of knowledge on organisational wellness by adding a new holistic model to the field of study. The study also explored an alternative application of arts-based research methodology, and broadened the relevant industry’s knowledge on the topic of organisational wellness. ii It is clear that members of the younger generations relate more easily to visual media like movies and documentaries. The dissertation was thus designed to inspire their creativity and thoughts about the subject matter, moving away from the exclusiveness of an academic audience. I have created seven moments in time that reflect on different aspects of the dissertation, they are referred to as research moments. The main focus, or first research moment, is the movie script entitled “Discovering Wellness” with behind-the-scenes moments, which could be viewed as stand-alone documentaries and movies, nevertheless contributing to the overall research moment. The second moment focuses on relevant literature on organisational wellness, while the third moment encapsulates the qualitative approach, as well as the epistemological and oncological aspects of the research. Moments four to seven individually contain behind-the-scenes information that contribute to the various perspectives of the research setting in order to provide the reader with an in-depth view of the context. Music, photographs and art were also added for the purpose of directing the reader or audience member’s attention to the mind-set and perspective of the writer, as well as to provide richer information on the research setting or context. Themes materialised in the stories collected through the unstructured interview process, which enabled the recommendation of a new model for the industry or field. It also compares favourably with themes and constructs that have been identified in other wellness models which are relevant to other industries or fields. In conclusion, the research is not finite, and the story does not come to a definite end, as it simply showcases a perception on a moment in time. If it stimulates further research, it will have fulfilled its purpose. Key words: organisational wellness, holistic model, arts-based research, script writing, performatory art.

Background: Women, as managers and engineers, are both within minorities, and even though the number of women graduating with an engineering degree has been increasing for the last years, there are still a lot of women that never enter or drift away from the engineering work environment. It appears to be a known career choice for female engineers to move into a managerial position, and could that be one of the reasons why the gender gap in engineering is not decreasing as much as it could? Purpose: This research took on the career development of female engineers who are working as managers. The purpose of this thesis was to understand what provokes the decision of female engineers to change careers, enter the field of management, and what career path they went through on their way towards that change. Method: The empirical data in this qualitative study was collected through semi-structured interviews, as they were considered a good way to truly understand the reasons women had for this career change. The interviewees were selected based on the requirements that they had to be women with a degree in engineering, to have worked in an engineering company, and to be currently working as managers in a non-engineering company. The interviewees all had experiences within the same culture, as they had all worked and lived in Sweden. The analysis of the data was thematic, because the focus was mainly on what was being said rather than how it was being said. Conclusion: The interviewed women stated that the connection they could establish with people, and being able to impact them, was the reason why they were in the leadership environment today. The reason they left, on the other hand, was mostly because their career had evolved in that direction. Their career drift either happened without them knowing it or they had made a conscious choice. The engineering background was necessary for their development, and it was perceived to have helped them in their positions as managers.

Audio Engineers are required to design and deploy large multi-channel sound systems which meet a set of requirements and use networking technologies such as Firewire and Ethernet AVB. Bandwidth utilisation and parameter groupings are among the factors which need to be considered in these designs. An implementation of an extensible, generic simulation framework would allow audio engineers to easily compare protocols and networking technologies and get near real time responses with regards to bandwidth utilisation. Our hypothesis is that an application-level capability can be developed which uses a network simulation framework to enable this process and enhances the audio engineer’s experience of designing and configuring a network. This thesis presents a new, extensible simulation framework which can be utilised to simulate professional audio networks. This framework is utilised to develop an application - AudioNetSim - based on the requirements of an audio engineer. The thesis describes the AudioNetSim models and implementations for Ethernet AVB, Firewire and the AES- 64 control protocol. AudioNetSim enables bandwidth usage determination for any network configuration and connection scenario and is used to compare Firewire and Ethernet AVB bandwidth utilisation. It also applies graph theory to the circular join problem and provides a solution to detect circular joins.